Olympics: 5 Reasons Not to Cry for Jordyn Wieber

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I turned on my computer this morning, and the top Olympics story that is still trending is American gymnast Jordyn Wieber not qualifying in the women's all-around final (this do to an arcane rule that frankly needs to be dispensed with), and seemingly the entire country grieving with her.

I'm not grieving for her, and I personally believe the media response is excessive.  Here are five reasons why.

She Got in the Olympics in the First Place

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There are 307 million people in the United States.  306,999,500 of them aren't competing in the Olympics.  

Getting into the Olympics is a huge accomplishment, especially since gymnastics isn't a sport like swimming or basketball where many of the great athletes are aided by physical advantages such as height.

As for the probabilities of winning gold in the all-around, since 1896, it's more likely an American will become President of the United States than win gold in the all-around.

She Already Has One Gold Medal

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So Jordyn Wieber isn't in the all-around final.  The United States women's gymnasts won the team final going away, meaning she already has one gold medal.

Again, that's something that only a handful of people in the country can say.

Winning a gold medal in that event is the dream of many gymnasts in countries you haven't heard of.  They didn't qualify for the all-around final either; Jordyn and Co. also dashed their hopes in the team competition.  Why aren't we crying for them?

...And She Could Get Another One

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Next week, eight individuals participate in the women's floor exercise final.  One of them is Jordyn Wieber.

So if winning a team gold medal wasn't enough for her, she could win an individual one in a matter of days.

It Won't Hit Her in the Wallet

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This whole Jordyn Wieber flap is giving me deja vu to Shawn Johnson four years ago...the face of the U.S. gymnasts who ended up being overshadowed at the Olympics.

The last time I saw Shawn Johnson on TV was earlier this week, when she was in the promo for one of NBC's new TV shows.  Since not winning the all-around gold medal in 2008, Johnson has made numerous TV show appearances, including appearing on Dancing With the Stars and judging the Miss America Pageant.

Like Johnson, Wieber can likely still expect fat checks for TV appearances and endorsements in the years to come.

She'll Be Back for Rio

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People, Jordyn Wieber is 16 and a half!  When the 2016 Rio Games roll around, she'll still be relatively young, and, barring a calamity, stands a fairly good chance at making that team.  

Bottom line: Jordyn Wieber doesn't really have that much to cry for, and I am ashamed at the media for blowing Jordyn Wieber's cry out of proportion.